Storage and Distribution Managers

Career Description: Plan, direct, and coordinate the storage and distribution operations within an organization or the activities of organizations that are engaged in storing and distributing materials and products.

Industry: Management

Other Job Titles for Storage and Distribution Managers:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Supervise the activities of workers engaged in receiving, storing, testing, and shipping products or materials.
• Plan, develop, and implement warehouse safety and security programs and activities.
• Review invoices, work orders, consumption reports, and demand forecasts to estimate peak delivery periods and to issue work assignments.
• Schedule and monitor air or surface pickup, delivery, or distribution of products or materials.
• Interview, select, and train warehouse and supervisory personnel.
• Confer with department heads to coordinate warehouse activities, such as production, sales, records control, and purchasing.
• Respond to customers' or shippers' questions and complaints regarding storage and distribution services.
• Inspect physical conditions of warehouses, vehicle fleets and equipment, and order testing, maintenance, repair, or replacement as necessary.
• Develop and document standard and emergency operating procedures for receiving, handling, storing, shipping, or salvaging products or materials.
• Examine products or materials to estimate quantities or weight and type of container required for storage or transport.
• Negotiate with carriers, warehouse operators and insurance company representatives for services and preferential rates.
• Issue shipping instructions and provide routing information to ensure that delivery times and locations are coordinated.
• Examine invoices and shipping manifests for conformity to tariff and customs regulations.
• Prepare and manage departmental budgets.
• Prepare or direct preparation of correspondence, reports, and operations, maintenance, and safety manuals.
• Arrange for necessary shipping documentation, and contact customs officials to effect release of shipments.
• Advise sales and billing departments of transportation charges for customers' accounts.
• Evaluate freight costs and the inventory costs associated with transit times to ensure that costs are appropriate.
• Participate in setting transportation and service rates.
• Track and trace goods while they are en route to their destinations, expediting orders when necessary.
• Arrange for storage facilities when required.
• Develop and implement plans for facility modification or expansion, such as equipment purchase or changes in space allocation or structural design.
• Evaluate locations for new warehouses and distribution networks to determine their potential usefulness.
• Negotiate short- and long-term loans to finance construction and ownership of structures.
• Contract with architectural firms to draw up detailed plans for new structures.
• Negotiate with government leaders, businesses, special interest representatives, and utility companies to gain support for new projects and to eliminate potential obstacles.
• Analyze information on property values, taxes, zoning, population growth, and traffic volume and patterns to determine if properties should be acquired.
• Promote the industries and products of their electoral districts.
• Represent their government at local, national, and international meetings and conferences.
• Speak to students to encourage and support the development of future political leaders.
• Harvest crops, and collect specialty products such as royal jelly, wax, pollen, and honey from bee colonies.
• Install and shift irrigation systems to irrigate fields evenly or according to crop need.
• Herd cattle, using horses or all-terrain vehicles.
• Destroy diseased or superfluous crops.

Emerging Tasks

• Monitor inventory levels of products or materials in warehouses.
• Provide direct service and support to individuals or clients, such as handling a referral for child advocacy issues, conducting a needs evaluation, and resolving complaints.
• Formulate strategic plans for the institution.
• Oversee facilities management for the university, including construction, repair, and maintenance projects.
• Promote the university by participating in community, state, and national events/meetings, and by developing partnerships with industry and secondary education institutions.
• Write grants to procure external funding, and supervise grant-funded projects.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• adhere to safety procedures
• analyze operational or management reports or records
• analyze organizational operating practices or procedures
• answer customer or public inquiries
• arrange delivery schedules
• assign work to staff or employees
• call on customers to solicit new business
• communicate technical information
• conduct or attend staff meetings
• confer with other departmental heads to coordinate activities
• develop maintenance schedules
• develop policies, procedures, methods, or standards
• develop safety regulations
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• ensure compliance with government regulations
• evaluate information from employment interviews
• evaluate performance of employees or contract personnel
• examine documents for completeness, accuracy, or conformance to standards
• hire, discharge, transfer, or promote workers
• inspect products or systems for regulatory compliance
• inspect property to determine damages
• interview job applicants
• investigate customer complaints
• maintain safe work environment
• measure, weigh, or count products or materials
• monitor facilities or equipment
• negotiate business contracts
• orient new employees
• oversee execution of organizational or program policies
• prepare reports
• provide customer service
• purchase property management or maintenance equipment or supplies
• resolve customer or public complaints
• schedule air or surface pickup, delivery, or distribution of product
• schedule facility or property maintenance
• schedule work to meet deadlines
• use conflict resolution techniques
• use negotiation techniques
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use weighing or measuring devices in transportation
• write administrative procedures services manual
• write business correspondence
• select tenants for rental properties
• sell real estate property to clients
• solicit support from officials or public
• understand property documents
• use building or land use regulations
• use conflict resolution techniques
• use facility management techniques
• use government regulations
• use knowledge of environmental laws and regulations
• use knowledge of fire, building or other codes
• use marketing techniques
• use negotiation techniques
• prepare or maintain employee records
• prepare reports for management
• present information on human resource management issues
• recommend action to ensure compliance
• recommend personnel actions, such as promotions, transfers, and dismissals
• recruit employees
• resolve personnel problems or grievances
• resolve worker or management conflicts
• seek out applicants to fill job openings
• use conflict resolution techniques
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use interviewing procedures
• use knowledge of employee classification system
• use negotiation techniques
• use project management techniques
• write employee orientation or training materials
• schedule activities, classes, or events
• schedule employee work hours
• slaughter animals, fish, or poultry
• study production records
• transport passengers or cargo
• understand second language
• use animal disease control techniques
• use computers to enter, access or retrieve data
• use fish culturing techniques
• use hand or power tools
• use herbicides, fertilizers, pesticides or related products
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use plant disease control techniques

Overall Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• n/a

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 8.35%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 7,847
• Employment (2006): 94,012

• First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Helpers, Laborers, and Material Movers, Hand
• First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Office and Administrative Support Workers
• First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Transportation and Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators
• Industrial Production Managers
• Management Analysts
• Purchasing Managers
• Transportation Managers
• Transportation Vehicle, Equipment and Systems Inspectors, Except Aviation
• Fishers and Related Fishing Workers
• Treasurers and Controllers